Number 8
by dinorap19
Summary: A pure diclonious, the supposed true king of his race has been freed from his confinement and the man responsible must hunt him down before he finds his queen, Lucy.
1. Ein Neuer Anfang

**Author's Note:** Taking a break from my Midori Days and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle fics. Technically, it's not a break seeing as how I take so long to update, but still… This fic takes place in 2007; just take it that the events of Elfen Lied took place in 2006, okay? Also, I'm no firearms expert, so don't kill me if I mess up when describing weapons. Also, my german is next to non-existant. Excuse any mispellings. This has got to be the longest opening chapter for a fic I have ever written... EVER.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Elfen Lied.

* * *

**#8**

**Chapter 1: A New Beginning - Ein Neuer Anfang**

"It's working?" Kohta said aloud to nobody in particular.

He stood there for a while as the grandfather clock chimed away, and then turned back to the front gate. He unlocked it and slid it open halfway before gasping audibly. The person standing before the gate was…

"N… Nyu?" he asked.

"Kohta…" she said feebly.

* * *

The sirens blared overhead as the group of 5 men raced down the hallway. They could hear shouting and gunfire not too far ahead. They hoped to God that one of _them_ had not escaped. The sound of gunfire ceased and they quickened their pace. If one had escaped, they had to make sure it didn't get outside. They reached the corridor where the alarm had been triggered and saw the bodies of the two teams which had responded to the alarm before they did. One of the guards was still on his feet… but was soon shot in the chest by the mysterious man wearing a black trench coat and a facemask who stood over him.

"You there, put down your weapon!" one of the guards shouted as he raised his Heckler and Koch MP-5.

His team mates followed his lead and raised their guns. The man in black turned towards them and moved closer. They stood their ground at first and kept asking him to put down his gun, but when he got within 10 metres, they took a few steps back and fired, the dust from all the bullets that hit the ground obscuring their view. They lowered their now empty guns and waited for the dust to settle.

"Is he dead?" one of them asked.

He got his answer when the dust had settled. The man in black was still standing; his clothes weren't even riddled with bullet holes. The guards panicked and tried to quickly reload their guns, but they all fell before their ejected magazines had hit the ground. He had knocked out two of them with the butt of his gun and shot two more, leaving just one alive. The one guard who was spared dropped his gun and tried to flee. He didn't get far…

"Where are they? Where do you keep them? Tell me and I may let you live…" the man in black asked in a calm tone almost as if killing people had no effect on him.

* * *

The diclonius yelled out in frustration as he tried to break free from the restraints binding his arms and legs, wriggling like a fish out of water. He yelled out once more, slamming his vectors on the walls of his containment unit. He knew he was the only male kept there, he knew he was locked away in the deepest cell with the thickest walls and the tightest security. He could not see, taste, and smell nor could he feel… and he was sick of it. He wanted to get out… and take revenge on the ones who placed him in this dark hell.

* * *

"Release them all."

The man in black had made his way to one of the scientists' offices and was threatening one at gunpoint… after knocking two of his colleagues out cold. He had barred the door from the inside and he could hear the security guards outside trying to break it down.

"Are you insane? They're mindless killing machines! If we let them go…"

"… I won't kill you. Listen to me professor; I do not want more blood spilt tonight than necessary. Do it."

"Very well then," he said as he reached for a key and a key card nearby, "Follow me."

"Do you take me for a fool? You don't use a key for their restraints anymore do you? Not since that little accident a few months back. All the restraints are electronically locked, just like their cells. Even the elevators require a key card."

* * *

The door finally gave way, but they were too late. The scientist had already given the intruder all the information he needed to release the specimens from their cells as well as the key card that unlocked every room in the facility and provided access to the elevators, and the intruder had already escaped via the ventilation system. The situation had changed and they made their way to the cell located at the very lowest level of the facility. They'd previously received word that an assault on the facility would occur, and #8 was to be kept in its chamber at all costs.

"All units located at Cell #08, be informed that the intruder is headed your way! I need 3 teams to get down there and provide backup! We'll get him there! The rest, go and secure the exits!"

* * *

The diclonius gave out another yell and fell to the ground. He was surprised at first and wondered what had happened. Did they come to change the locks? They did so some months back when a diclonius, the only other pure diclonius he knew was being held there, escaped. He killed the people who came in to change them. He enjoyed the sound of their flesh stretching and finally tearing apart, their bones breaking like twigs and their horrified, tortured screams. He flung his vectors around, but there was nobody there.

He wondered what was going on and then felt that the straight jacket was slack… as if it were no longer tied and the locks were removed. He flung his arm out, confirming that he had been freed from his restraints. He started to laugh as though he'd heard the funniest joke in his life and tore the straight jacket off his body. He reached up and removed the helmet that had blinded him for all this time and walked towards the cell door.

* * *

Michiko was worried. They were shooting metal balls at her as they always had, but suddenly stopped when the lights in the testing room went out. Only the red emergency lights remained and she was getting scared. The last time something like this happened, many people died. It had been two hours since the lights went out. Suddenly, something broke through the glass window of the observation room at the far end; the siren and sounds of gunshots outside suddenly louder. The lights were out in there and she could only see a faint outline of a person.

He walked into the light revealing a demonic grin filled with sharp teeth. It was the man in black and the red lights illuminating his facemask made him look like a monster. Michiko was afraid; she'd never seen this man… this thing… before, but she had a feeling that he was dangerous. Her heart started beating faster when he started walking towards her. She strained at the chains holding her. She wanted to get away from there, she didn't feel safe, but they were too strong. She gave up and stayed silent; looking back at him as he moved closer. The man in black then pulled out his gun.

Michiko's level of fear rose significantly. She'd seen men walk around with similar devices and knew that it meant death to whoever it was pointed at. She lashed out her vectors in an attempt to knock it out of the beast's hand. All three stopped short of where he stood, just outside her vectors' range of 5 metres. She withdrew them, shivering in fear as he took aim… and shot at the chains holding her back. He holstered the gun and knelt down next to her…

"I'm not here to hurt you."

Michiko blinked in confusion. She had expected him to end her life, right then and there, but he spared her. She wondered why he had done so. Was he planning to use her for something? If so, she wouldn't cooperate.

"I'm getting you off this island," he told her, "I need you to go to Lab 12, I'm sure you know the way. There are others there. You're all getting away from here. There's just one more person I have to find, then I'll be right there to help you all escape… and I'll destroy this place."

He turned around, clambered back into the observation room and exited. Michiko followed him out of the room and down the corridor, stopping for a moment, thinking about what to do. She suddenly thought about her father, Dr, Nakashima, one of the scientists at the facility and ran after the man in black, grabbing hold of his trench coat with one of her vectors.

"Wait!" she shouted, "My father… please, save my father! His name is Dr. Nakashima! Please! You have to save him before you…"

"Come with me, then." he told her, "The next person I'm freeing is under his supervision. His cell is on the lower most level… and your father's office is on that level as well."

* * *

"Shit! He's loose! Open fire!" one of the guards yelled out.

He was one of the many who rushed to #8's cell to prevent the intruder from releasing it, but they did not expect it to free itself. He was the first to notice it was already free… and he was the first to die. From 10 metres away, the diclonius jerked his Heckler and Koch MP-5 out of his hands, lifted him up 3 metres off the ground and bent him backwards with 4 of his vectors. The guard's four team mates looked on in horror, unable to fire. The other teams were still en route.

The guard wished it to be over quickly, hoping that the monster would break his spine and be done with, but was denied that wish. The diclonius kept him that way for a few minutes, his back almost snapping in two, and used its remaining 7 vectors to do away with the rest; ripping them apart slowly. He knew it was enjoying itself, ripping his team into pieces whilst keeping him near death in extreme pain.

"I remember you…" the diclonius spoke, "You were here that day... The day I was placed here…"

The guard thought the beast had gone insane and was talking to itself at first, but then realised that it was talking to him. He was the one in charge of placing it in its cell when it was first brought to the facility. He'd treated the specimen like a lower life form, verbally abusing it and sending electric charges through the metal harness containing it.

"I loathe you… You wanted to break me… Today, I break you… Now," the diclonius continued, bringing the guard's upper torso back in an upright position, stared at him and yelled, "BREAK!"

He bent the man back, breaking his spine and then ripping him apart where it snapped. The spray of blood brought a smile on the diclonius' face and induced terror into the guards who had just arrived. They fired upon it, hoping to at least slow it down. They failed miserably; several had the bullets from their guns shoved into their eyes, the others were ripped apart.

The last guard, the 24th as the diclonius had counted, was repeatedly thrown against the wall until he stopped breathing. The diclonius got on its knees; almost bathing in the blood that now covered the corridor, raised its arms, looked skyward as if in prayer and gave a triumphant yell. With the way ahead cleared, it got on its feet and proceeded…

* * *

"Where is my father?" Michiko asked.

"I don't know… He should be down here, but…" the man replied, but stopped suddenly.

They had made their way down to the level where Cell #08, and the specimen inside with the same number assigned to it, was located and entered the scientists' office on that level. It appeared to have been unused for an extended period of time, which made no sense. Every specimen in the facility had at least 3 scientists studying it and according to the records shown to him upstairs, #8 was still active.

The man in black had turned on a computer in here and got back into the facility's database, almost mimicking the scientist upstairs who had extracted the information from the database on all the specimens and given them to him. This time, he was looking for information on the scientists stationed on the level, but found nothing. They could hear gunshots close by, followed by screams of pain and then silence before the gunshots resumed. He started looking through all other sections in the database and turned up three results. It led him to Michiko's file…

* * *

Name: Nakashima Michiko  
Specimen Number: 6  
Vectors: 3  
Vector Range: 5 meters  
Age: 13  
Physical age: 18  
Sex: Female  
Species: Silpelit Diclonius  
Father: Dr. Nakashima Kenji (deceased)  
Mother: N/A

Scientist in-charge/Foster parent: Dr. Minamoto Mikoto

* * *

… To the file of the last diclonius in the facility, the one they were headed for…

* * *

Name: N/A  
Specimen Number: 8  
Vectors: 11  
Vector Range: 10 meters  
Age: 21  
Sex: Male  
Species: Pure Diclonius  
Father: N/A  
Mother: N/A

Scientist in-charge/Foster parent: Dr. Nakashima Kenji (deceased)

* * *

… And to a message sent by one of the scientists from the office they were in right now…

* * *

Date: 2nd January 2001

The subject killed Dr. Nakashima during a parent/child contact session today. We tried to persuade him not to go in there, but he wanted to… and he died. Subject is not safe for study. Its vector range is too great for us to get close. Recommended course of action is to increase the level of security and pull out all personnel. We need to restrain him further before we're sure to be safe. I don't know why you want it kept alive Chief Kakuzawa… but you pay me, and I'm not one to complain.

* * *

"He's… dead…" he said softly, hoping Michiko wouldn't hear, but she did.

"What! Dead? But… how? It can't be! You're lying! Tell me that you're lying!" Michiko screamed, grabbing hold of the man. She glanced at the computer screen, tears swelling in her eyes…

"No Michiko, don't!" He pleaded, but his cries fell on deaf ears. She had bolted out the door, her eyes no longer in tears, but filled with an intense hatred.

He got up to run after her, but when he reached the door, she had disappeared. He cursed at himself for letting her know and followed the corridor to the left, hoping that she'd gone the same way. In her present state, she'd fight #8 if she met him and if she did, the possibility of her losing was incredibly high. He hastened his pace as someone above watched…

* * *

Chief Kakuzawa sat at his desk watching the intruder run along the corridor of the sub-level where #8 was located. The security cameras throughout the rest of the facility had ceased to function, possibly the handiwork of the man in black, but the cameras down on that level still worked. Kakuzawa wanted them to work even if power to the entire facility had been cut. #8 was to never leave and he wanted eyes on that level 24/7 to make sure of that.

"Hmmm… so… he used rubber bullets, wears a facemask designed to look like a smiling maw filled sharp teeth, knows about our activities here and now has access to everything," Chief Kakuzawa spoke, "Why are you not stopping him!"

* * *

The diclonius killed the final guard, the 33rd, and moved forward. It wanted to get out now, more than ever. It walked along the corridor into a wide hallway, inside was a diclonius girl, probably a silpelit, about 18 years of age, her long hair reaching down to her hips. It was Michiko…

"Huh? Are you lost little girl?" #8 asked her, moving closer.

"You… did something I can never forgive…" Michiko said.

"Oh did I now?" #8 replied.

"You… you killed my father!" Michiko screamed, flinging her vectors out at #8.

"And I… will kill you," he said calmly, throwing Michiko against the wall on the far side of the room.

He'd thrown her so hard that the wall caved in slightly… and it was made of steel. Michiko coughed up blood, got out of the indentation and ran at him, vectors lunging forward, only to get tossed back into the wall, making the indentation greater. She coughed up more blood and tried to get on her feet, but #8 was already in front of her. Grabbing her head, he brought it hard against the wall, denting it further. Michiko screamed in agony…

"You are still alive… That means…" #8 said, "You are one of my kind. I have never killed one of us. I have been here for as long as I can recall…"

"He was a scientist here…" Michiko said weakly, "He took care of you!"

"Did they take care of you, young one?" #8 asked, raising her to look him in the eye, "Did they? Nobody… nobody took care of me! That man came in willingly… he was one of them! I hate them! I HATE THEM! You must hate them too! Learn to hate them!"

* * *

The man in black walked cautiously down the corridor. He'd heard two people speaking loudly followed by what sounded like something large being tossed about. He recognised one of the voices and drew a gun from his coat; a custom Smith & Wesson M500 Hunter revolver, different from the one he'd used before; a SIG- Sauer P226 semi-automatic handgun modified to fire less than lethal rounds, in this case, rubber bullets. He heard Michiko's voice again.

She was close… _they_ were close. He stopped moving when he couldn't hear their voices. He noticed the wall to the right of the corridor seemed to be dented, moved closer to inspect it and jumped back in shock as Michiko flew out of the wall. She landed against the wall opposite the one she'd just been thrown out of, unconscious. A diclonius stepped through the hole Michiko had burst through. He looked at the man in black, who was now certain that the diclonius before him was #8.

* * *

"Damn it!" said the man in black, taking aim, "I was hoping I wouldn't have had to d…"

He hadn't the chance to finish his sentence when he was thrown violently back against the wall of the adjacent corridor, dropping his revolver in the process. #8 held him against the wall with his vectors and came closer. He looked the man in black in the eyes and spoke…

"You… aren't one of them…" he said, "You let me out of there, didn't you? For that… I thank you… by letting you live another day…"

He tossed the man in black down the corridor, in Michiko's direction, and he landed against the wall on the far side of the corridor, some 25 metres away. When he had composed himself and got on his feet, #8 had gone. He rushed over to Michiko and checked her pulse. He registered a heartbeat; it was faint, but it was there. He retrieved his revolver, holstered it and picked up Michiko. There was only one way out of the level; the elevator, and he carried her there, passing by the chamber where #8 had been contained. The bodies of the guards lay scattered about like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle.

The elevator was still there, meaning #8 hadn't yet found it; the level's corridors were labyrinthine. The man in black carried Michiko all the way to Lab 12, where the other freed diclonii were waiting. Only 19 out of the 40 or so diclonii kept in the facility had gathered there. The others were dead, either by the man in black, through the ruthless experimentations carried out by the scientists, shot in the head by a high calibre rifle when they were of no more use or just missing. The man in black pulled out a walkie-talkie, one he'd picked up from an unconscious guard and retuned to a different frequency, and spoke into it.

"Kazuma, how's the exit?" he said.

"It's clear," Kazuma replied, "I took out all of the guards there."

* * *

Kazuma, a young man of about 19 years of age with medium length white hair, which he'd dyed in an attempt to look like his favourite videogame character, Dante from the Devil May Cry series, was crouching by the exit to the dock. He was wearing the same outfit as the man in black, sans the facemask and was wielding a Glock 19 with suppressor attached, his lethal weapon, as well as a SIG- Sauer P226 semi-automatic, which fired rubber bullets. He'd also recovered his walkie-talkie from an unconscious guard.

"How many did you free?" the man in black asked.

"Five," Kazuma responded, "What about you?"

"Nineteen silpelits," the man in black replied, "Those five… are they safe?"

"Yeah, they're in the boat…" Kazuma said.

"No. I meant… are they _safe_?" the man in black asked him, with a firmer tone.

Kazuma understood what the man in black meant and replied…

"Yes, they've been confirmed to be safe!"

"Good. All of mine are safe as well. We're heading down to the dock now. Prepare the boat!"

"What about #8?"

"He's still down there, walking around. He won't leave anytime soon."

"That's good to hear. Remember what the old man told us?"

"I remember…"

* * *

"He's the only other pure diclonius ever found. The other is Lucy. I have a very strong belief that there is no coincidence about this. I've hereby come to the conclusion that if Lucy is their queen, then he is their king…"

#8 stood there, silent. He'd wandered back to the entrance of his chamber and overheard the man in black over the walkie-talkie of one of the dead guards. It had somehow retuned itself to the frequency the man and his associate were using. #8 couldn't help but smile. He'd known that he was superior to the rats who were keeping him there, but he had never expected to be superior to his own kind. His kind… few were known to exist and they continue to dwindle in numbers… unless he finds _her_.

"Lucy…" he whispered, "Where are you?"

#8 looked up and noticed a ventilation shaft. He gave a smile for his way out had now been revealed to him…

* * *

Kazuma rushed down from the exit to their escape vehicle, a small black motorboat. As he started up the engines, the man in black, Michiko still cradled in his arms, and his 19 wards exited the facility. Everyone got on the boat when they heard an explosion. From the docks, they could not see what was going on very clearly; the explosion had occurred at the top of the cliff side on their right. The man in black looked through a pair of binoculars up the cliff; someone was walking near the cliff's edge, but turned back soon afterwards.

"It's #8!" the man in black exclaimed, "He must have crawled up a ventilation shaft or something. Kazuma, quickly! Let's get out of here!"

The boat started pulling away from the dock when Michiko, who had been unconscious before #8 was spotted, had gotten up and jumped back onto the dock and ran back into the facility. Kazuma slowed the boat down, but the man in black told him to continue as planned and jumped onto the dock. He turned back at his comrade and requested that Kazuma not come back for him before running after Michiko.

* * *

"Where are you, Lucy?" #8 whispered.

He was standing at the edge of the very cliff Lucy had fallen from when she escaped. The difference being that there were no guards still on their feet, no sniper to put him down and no Kurama to orchestrate any course of action to prevent the diclonius' escape. The exit he'd walked out of was engulfed in flames, and from those flames leapt Michiko, her vectors shielding her from the flames, obviously in no condition to fight.

"You still wish to fight me?" #8 asked, "You are a fool, young one. You have seen how powerful I am. Why do you wish for death?"

Michiko did not respond. She merely ran straight at him, bellowing at the top of her lungs. He easily dodged her and stayed well out of her vectors' 5 metre range. She rushed at him again and once more he dodged her. They turned to face each other as it started to rain.

"I have no intention of killing my own kin!" #8 spoke, "But you are forcing my hand! I thought the punishment I gave you downstairs would have been enough to make you change your mind; to forget about them and think of us! Our brothers and sisters! Apparently it isn't so. You still harbour feelings for those beasts… for that monster. For that, you die!"

Michiko rushed forwards again and was pinned down by the neck by one of #8's vectors. She struggled to break free, but soon lost to exhaustion and stopped moving. #8 brought down his remaining vectors on her, causing her to sink into the mud. He then raised her up in the air by her left arm and looked at her, much like a curious boy looks at an animal he'd never seen before. After some time, he decided he would rip off her right arm… and announced it openly.

"No, please!" Michiko spoke feebly, not an ounce of strength left in her.

"Pathetic…" #8 said, as he started to pull her right arm slowly, "I think maybe death is the only suitable punishment for someone as weak as you…"

#8 started to pull her arm harder and she screamed in pain. Then, she felt none, and landed on the soft soil beneath her. The scream of pain continued, but not from her. It was #8, now sporting a large gash on the side of his arm where a .500 S&W magnum round had grazed him. He turned back towards the facility, a burning rage in his eyes, and saw the man in black, his revolver at the ready.

"It's you!" #8 said, "I should have just killed you! You ungrateful rat!"

The man in black stood 15 metres away from him, well out of his vectors' 10 metre range. He took a step forward, but felt something around his leg; a vector! He looked back at Michiko and tossed her backwards, closer to the cliff's edge. His leg freed, he turned back to face the man in black, who had already fired a shot. #8 brought his vectors up in an attempt to stop the bullet, but it did not stop. He missed it with all of his vectors.

In that split second, he wondered why he could not stop it. Had rage caused him to lose his focus? Or was it some sort of sorcery from that black devil? With his death closing in on his head, he forced his body to turn to the left, and escaped death, though not unscathed; the bullet grazed his right eyeball, splitting it open and sending the viscous material within to pour out. An immense pain erupted within him. He was blind… and angry.

* * *

The man in black lowered his weapon. #8 had been blinded in one eye and was now flailing his vectors wildly, swaying to and fro like a drunk. Michiko had passed out, for how long, he did not know. Then, it happened. It was so sudden, that he didn't have the time to react logically. One of #8's vectors picked up Michiko and hurled her towards the cliff side on the west just as he fell off the northern cliff; the very same one Lucy had fallen off during her escape, and out of sight.

The man in black ran towards the west cliff and without hesitation, jumped off. He managed to get a hold of Michiko as they pummelled towards the sea. He knew she would survive, but he wasn't so sure his body would be able to withstand hitting water at that speed. As they closed in on the water, he realised that there were rocks jutting out of the sea. He prayed hard as they crashed into the water, and hit his head against a rock. As he drifted out of consciousness, he lost Michiko.

* * *

Kazuma shone a flashlight into the water. He had already dropped the diclonii on the mainland and turned around to look for his partner, even though he'd been told not to. The beam of light reflected off something and he moved the boat closer. It was a diclonius; the read hair and the two horns atop its head were all he needed to verify it, floating face down in the water. He'd pulled the diclonius halfway out of the water before he realised who the floater was. #8 opened his remaining eye and stared coldly at Kazuma, half his body still in the water.

"Oh shit!" Kazuma swore, pulling out his Glock 19 handgun, "It's you…"

Kazuma squeezed the trigger as his head went flying, landing in the water a distance off before sinking into the depths. The bullet caused no damage to #8, who crawled onto the boat. He covered his open eye socket with his hand and looked at the beheaded body of Kazuma. With his free hand, he started stripping the corpse and when the job was done, tossed the now naked form of Kazuma into the sea. He spent some time donning Kazuma's clothes, and then sat back down. Unable to pilot the vessel, he looked up at the moon as the current brought the boat along.

"Lucy…" he whispered, "I'm coming…"

* * *

**End of Chapter - Ende Des Kapitels**


	2. Verhängnisvolle Sitzungen

**Author's Note:** I apologise greatly for the long update. Too many responsibilities and a bad case of writer's block… Going to start cycling fanfics so this one won't be updated in a while. In a while longer than the time it took for me to update this story from Chapter 1.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Fateful Meetings - ****Verhängnisvolle Sitzungen**

"Will she be all right?" Mayu asked.

"She should be able to recover by using her vectors on herself," Nana replied, "But we should do what we can for her too."

"How do you know that, Nana?" Mayu asked.

"I heard one of the scientists at the facility mention it," Nana replied, "She's the only one I know of that can do it. I can't…"

Kohta had carried Nyu inside when she fainted at the gate; she'd been gone for a month. It had been 5 hours since then and night had fallen. She was now asleep on a futon with two blankets over her and her temperature was rising. Mayu placed a wet towel on her forehead as Yuka and Kohta entered the room. Yuka knelt down next to Nyu, lifted the wet towel with her right hand and placed her left palm in its place. None of them seemed to have noticed that her horns were no longer visible. Nyu opened her eyes when that palm touched her skin, and tried to speak…

"Kohta…"she whispered, reaching out to him.

* * *

Michiko opened her eyes slowly. She felt as though a simple task as that required every last ounce of her strength to accomplish. She looked around and learnt that she had landed on a beach and that it was still night. She closed her eyes and lay there, drifting into slumber. She did not know that a naked 18 year old girl was a beacon in the outside world and sure enough, 3 men with less than noble intentions came upon her.

"Hey check her out," One of them, Hasegawa Takumi, said aloud, brushing Michiko's long hair off her body, "Woo… She's got a nice ass."

"And a great rack too," Another, Inoue Shun, continued, turning her over for a better look, "If she weren't so bruised I'd have her by now."

"Are you crazy?" The last one, Fujiwara Ibuki, almost shouted, "It's because she's beaten unconscious that we can have her! This is the perfect opportunity for us! Come on, what are the odds that we find a naked girl on the beach? There's nobody around, too."

Takumi, abbreviated as 'Taku' by his friends, slightly overweight and wearing a hoodie with baggy jeans, looked over at Shun, unsure of what to do. Shun, the tallest of the trio, decked in a grey T-shirt and shorts, was busy staring at the unconscious girl's chest to notice. Ibuki, the apparent leader of the group, in a black T-shirt and brown trousers, was hastily removing his belt. It was at this moment that Michiko stirred…

"Shit! She's waking up!" Shun shouted, "Let's get out of here!"

"W… wait," Michiko said feebly, reaching out to the three men before her, "H… help… me…"

The trio looked at her, stunned, especially Ibuki, seeing as how his trousers and his boxers were at his ankles. Normally someone would be yelling out that a flasher was in the vicinity if someone was showing off his family jewels, but she was whispering for help. It was as if she had no idea how to react when something like this occurred and when the realisation hit him, Ibuki grinned.

"Sure… We'll help you," Ibuki assured her, moving closer, "What's the problem?"

"P… pain…"she whispered, looking up at Ibuki, "Please… it hurts…"

"I can make the pain go away," Ibuki told her, his erect penis now 6 inches away from Michiko's face, "All you have to do… is suck on it."

Michiko's eyes glazed over. It looked as if she would pass out at any moment. She moved closer to Ibuki's appendage, mouth open, but then she hesitated for a moment. Ibuki, impatient, grabbed her head and was about to shove his penis into her mouth when it exploded, sending a small burst of blood and flesh in all directions. Michiko's eyes widened in shock as Ibuki let out a howl of immense pain. A man in his mid 30s, with short, brown hair wearing brown trousers, a red shirt, a brown jacket and a pair of sunglasses had a Desert Eagle aimed at them. It was Bando… and he'd just shot Ibuki's manhood off.

"Ibuki!" Shun and Taku screamed in unison, kneeling next to their comrade, "Holy fuck!"

"That's no way to be treating a lady," Bando spoke, gun raised, "This is my beach. Now scram!"

Shun and Taku shouldered Ibuki, whose lower half was almost completely drenched in red, and took off swearing as they went. At one point, Shun turned around and flipped Bando the bird. He lost his finger immediately afterwards when Bando pulled the trigger. In five minutes, they had gone and Bando turned his gaze to the girl. It was at this moment that he truly realised what she was.

"So, you're one of _them_," he said, ejecting the clip from his gun and reloading it, "To think I saved your sorry little ass. Ah well… I've got some… special… bullets for you."

Michiko had been frozen in shock since Ibuki lost his manhood and was staring wide-eyed straight in front of her. Bando walked over to the spot where her eyes fell on and took aim. She finally snapped out of it and moved her gaze to his face. He smirked… and a large wooden barrel came down over him. Now practically blind and with both arms pinned to his sides, he was at the complete mercy of his assailant, who spun him around and gave him a kick where it hurt. Dropping his gun, Bando grabbed his groin in pain and staggered off blindly, barrel still over him.

Michiko gasped when she saw her saviour. It was the man in black. Half of his face was covered in blood, which was seeping out of a deep gash on his forehead. A chunk of his facemask had broken off, revealing most of his right cheek and the corner of his mouth. In a way, he looked more terrifying than before. He picked up Bando's Desert Eagle, ejected the clip, and tossed the now empty gun into the sea before falling on his knees. Michiko crawled to his side, her face drenched in Ibuki's blood.

"You… are a… really… stupid girl…. You know that?" he asked, breathing heavily in between the words.

He wiped off some of the blood from his eyes and ripped off a part of his trench coat, using that piece of cloth to try and wipe the blood off Michiko's face. When he was done, he grimaced in pain and put his hand to the gash on his forehead, seemingly trying to prevent any more blood from seeping out of it. Michiko then used the cloth he'd used to wipe her face and tried to wipe the blood off of his. She only succeeded in smearing it all over his face, seeing as how the cloth was already covered in it and couldn't soak anymore.

"No. Stop! Stop it," he said, pushing the cloth off his face.

"I'm sorry," Michiko apologised, "I just wanted to… I'm…"

"Injured," the man in black concluded and then, as if realising a mistake, said, "Aren't you?"

Michiko had intended to apologise again, but the man in black made her realise something. The pain was gone. She hadn't really noticed a lot since Ibuki's penis exploded in front of her face and couldn't really tell how it had happened. Most of her bruises had gone. It was almost as if she had healed completely. She lost herself in her thoughts, wondering what was going on. She only snapped out of it when she felt warmth. The man in black had taken off his trench coat and draped it around her.

"The first thing… you need to learn," he started, "is that out here… people wear clothes."

"Th… thank you," Michiko said, ignoring how he'd seem to forgotten that she'd healed so quickly.

"You're… welcome," the man in black replied, taking off the flak jacket he'd been wearing under the trench coat.

With the trench coat and flak jacket gone, he looked like any ordinary civilian wearing a black T-shirt and trousers. The only things that set him apart were the holsters for his guns, the guns themselves, and the facemask, which he soon took off. Michiko finally saw his face and was kind of shocked. He looked no older than 28 and she was sure he'd sounded a lot older back in the facility. He leaned against a nearby barrel and started to drift off into sleep. At least that was what Michiko hoped.

"Excuse me, sir," Michiko said, shaking him.

"Eh?" the man in black responded, trying hard to keep his eyes open and still breathing heavily, "Oh… that's right… I haven't introduced myself… My name is… Matsuo Taiki. People… usually call me 'Tai'."

"Matsuo-san, you're hurt" she said, "Tell me how to help you!"

"You can't," he replied, giving a wan smile before losing consciousness.

* * *

The man stood before his superior's desk in the darkened office, waiting for a response. He'd just informed him that the diclonii had arrived; but two members of the team, the only ones they'd sent into the facility, never came back. One of them never arrived at the rendezvous point; the rest of the team were waiting on a boat nearby, ready to move in should the two fail, and the other one turned around and went back towards the facility after the diclonii were in safe hands.

"Inform our contacts living in Kamakura," his superior spoke, "The city's just a stone's throw away from the facility; it'll be easier for them to keep an eye out for our missing agents. I also want you to inform Dr. Minamoto. If they've been captured by Kakuzawa's goons, she ought to know. She might even be able to tell us where in the facility they're being held."

"Understood, sir!" the man responded, giving a small bow before turning to leave the room.

Once he was sure his subordinate had gone, the superior picked up a photo frame from his desk and held it up to the light of his desk lamp. It was a photo of Ishimaru Kazuma. He placed it back on his desk and rubbed his temples as if he'd had a headache. He looked at the photo once more…

"Brother… I hope you're still alive…"

* * *

Kohta had moved closer and held Nyu's hand firmly, as if not wanting her to slip out of existence. She had closed her eyes again, but a name escaped her lips before that had happened, "Kaede". He seemed to be the only one who heard her say it, and assumed it meant she remembered the inn was her home. The entire room was silent; Yuka was trying hard not to butcher Nyu's arm off in an attempt to break the two apart, Mayu was sitting there quietly and Nana had gone into the kitchen to refill the small basin of water they used to soak the wet towel in.

The silence was broken by the loud clang of metal against a wooden floor. Everyone turned towards the open door into the hallway. Nana had dropped the basin, spilling water everywhere and her eyes were wide in alarm. Before they could do anything, she had bolted down the hallway and out the front door. Mayu rushed after her. Kohta wanted to give chase, but remembering Nyu's hand was still clutching his, he asked Yuka to go after them instead. He didn't need to, of course, for she was planning on doing so.

"Nana, wait!" Mayu yelled, trying to grab one of Nana's arms.

They had run down the long flight of stairs from the inn and were quite a distance along the road below the inn when she managed to stop Nana. Yuka had already caught up with them by then and, breathing heavily, demanded an explanation for Nana's behaviour. Nana looked further down the road, as if there were no more time to spare, and then decided to tell them.

"I can sense someone," she said, almost screaming, "Another diclonius! And she's in distress! We have to help her!"

Mayu agreed immediately, but Yuka took a few moments to mull over the situation and only agreed when Nana started running down the road without waiting for a response. They only stopped when they had reached an area of the beach which was quite familiar to them. The only things that were different about it were the sobbing figure in black with long, flowing crimson hair and two prominent horns atop her head, the splatter of blood and flesh on the sand nearby and… the body she was sobbing over.

Mayu covered her mouth, eyes wide in shock. Yuka held on to her, obscuring the body from her view. Nana, meanwhile, approached the diclonius girl. Kneeling down next to her, she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. The girl turned to look at her, tears still streaming down her face. Without warning, she grabbed onto Nana, sobbing harder into her bosom.

"He… he's dead!" she told her, "It's all my… my… I couldn't… save…"

Nana placed her arms around the girl, assuring her that all was well, that whatever happened wasn't her fault. Mayu and Yuka moved closer to them; it seemed that Mayu had gotten used to the body, and they too offered comfort to the girl. Yuka then mustered the courage to grab one of the body's wrists, just to be sure. She felt a pulse…

* * *

The phone had been ringing for a while, but Kajou Momoko took her time. It was past midnight, she was sure the person would either understand why she took so long, or hang up and call again in the morning if she didn't reach the phone in time. She considered it unfortunate when she managed to pick up the transceiver and the person hadn't hung up.

"Hello?" she said, sleepily.

"Momoko? It's me, Masahiro," the voice on the other end spoke, "How are you?"

"Sleepy, it is past midnight after all," she replied monotonously, "What is it that you want?"

"I need you to keep an eye out for two people," Masahiro told her, "I've sent his photo to your e-mail."

"Wait, you said there were two people," she said, suddenly more alert, "Why is there only one photo?"

"Because you only need it for one of them," Masahiro responded, pausing for a moment before continuing, "The other is your husband after all."

* * *

Tai was lying down under a sakura tree, gazing up at the sky from its shade. He sat up, brushing his jet black hair to make sure nothing was in it when what appeared to be a pile of dried leaves rained down upon him. He gave a small sigh and brushed his hair again. Without looking back, he spoke…

"I know it's you Haru-chan," he said, standing up.

He turned around to face a young woman with flowing crimson hair. She had an angelic smile upon her face and a playful twinkle in her eyes. He couldn't help but smile himself after staring at her and somehow, he found himself stifling a laugh. Sticking out her tongue, she tossed another handful of leaves at him.

"Haha!" she laughed, "You've got leaves in your hair!"

"Oh yeah?" he replied, picking up some leaves, "Well, you're going to get some in yours!"

They spent the next few minutes running around the sakura tree, tossing leaves at each other, laughing. Eventually, they tired enough to lie down under the tree. Their laughter turned to silence as they looked at each other. She smiled, he smiled back and he ran his hand through her hair and then his fingers found themselves twining around one of her horns. It was a moment he wished would last an eternity; to see her like that forever.

The silence was broken by a gunshot. They were still under that same sakura tree, but there was something different. It was dark, the tree seemed to have been splattered with blood and he was no longer staring into the eyes he had come to love. Those eyes staring back at him were hollow… and lifeless. He reached out for her, but some unforeseen force seemed to be dragging him further away from her. It was then that he felt it; the excruciating pain that seemed to erupt in his head.

And he awoke… screaming…

* * *

Gasping for air, he sat up and looked at his surroundings. He wasn't on the beach anymore. He was inside a room; one that was akin to those of an inn. He took a moment to pull his thoughts together, trying to remember what had happened. He knew he passed out shortly after saving Michiko on the beach, but he couldn't remember anything prior to that. He soon realised that he was shirtless and had been bandaged in several places including the wound on his head, which was pounding. Wondering how he had ended up in his current position and where Michiko had gone to, his eyes continued to survey the environment and finally came to rest on some clothes, neatly folded, next to him.

He put on the clothes; a green T-shirt and a pair of jeans, concluding that his screams were just a part of his dream… his nightmare… seeing as how nobody had come around to check on him, when he heard footsteps outside. The tatami door slid open and Michiko stood there for a moment, looking at him. She was dressed in clothes, proper clothes as compared to just his trench coat; a T-shirt and shorts. Tears formed in her eyes and she suddenly ran forward and glomped him, forcing him backwards. He felt that searing pain in his head again and could barely hear how she was relieved that he was still alive.

"I see you're awake," Yuka spoke, carrying a tray with a small kettle and a cup into the room.

Michiko wiped her tears and excused herself, happy with the knowledge that the person who saved her wasn't yet dead. Yuka poured some tea into the cup and introduced herself. He took a long sip from the cup before doing the same. She informed him that Michiko had already told her his name and that he'd been unconscious for a couple of days. She informed him that his personal belongings were in the top drawer of the cupboard in his room, save his guns which she had locked up in a safe.

She knew tossing them away was irresponsible; someone might pick them up and do something dangerous. She did, however, throw away his clothes which were stained in blood. Tai crossed the room and opened the drawer, retrieving a wallet, a wristwatch and what appeared to be a mobile phone card in a small plastic case. She then mentioned that her cousin wanted to discuss some things with him and got up to leave, carrying the tray with the kettle. He downed the rest of his tea and followed her.

They passed by the front door of the inn on their way to the dining room. Michiko was outside, playing with a small dog in the mid-afternoon sun. He stopped for a moment to take in that image of her so happy and free before following Yuka again. The dining room wasn't what he'd expected; normally inn dining rooms were large and had several tables for the guests, but it was just a normal sized one that had the appropriate furniture. There was someone already there…

* * *

"This is my cousin, Kohta," she told Tai, proceeding to sit next to Kohta and setting the tray down on the dining table.

"Nice to meet you," Tai spoke, sitting across the table from them, "My name is Matsuo Taiki, but I'm sure you've already been told that."

Kohta gave a small nod and asked several questions regarding Tai and Michiko, such as why and how they were on the beach as well as why he was in possession of firearms. Tai was unable to answer, explaining that his memory from before the beach was extremely hazy with the last vivid recollection of events happening nearly 3 years ago; an incident that he made clear he did not want to share, noting it as a 'painful experience that shouldn't be relived'. It was as if a large chunk of his memory had been erased.

Yuka and Kohta whispered to each other several times throughout the conversation, finally agreeing to believe what had been said. They told him so and also told him that he would be free to stay there for as long as it takes for his body to heal. He thanked them and asked where they were and why they'd saved him. Kohta told him that he was currently in the Kaede Inn, located in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture and jokingly mentioned that if it weren't for Michiko, Yuka might have actually left him for dead. Yuka's icy glare soon made him realise he had made the wrong joke at the wrong time.

She said that they saved him because it was the right thing to do and then excused herself to prepare dinner. Kohta got up soon afterwards, saying he needed to check up on Nyu. There was no further explanation as to who Nyu was, which left Tai baffled. With nothing else in mind, Tai looked through his belongings. The watch was useless now as it wasn't waterproof, the money in his wallet had disintegrated and he had no clue as to the significance of the mobile phone card.

The only thing left was a laminated photo tucked in the see through pocket of his wallet. He looked at the photo for quite some time and then put the small plastic case containing the mobile phone card in his wallet and pocketed it, having removed the remains of his money and thrown them away along with his watch. Looking outside; the sun had already begun to set, its red hues increasing the beauty of the scenery, he gave a small smile.

* * *

"We're home!" Mayu said.

"Welcome back!" Michiko replied, rushing to meet them at the gate.

Mayu and Nana had just gotten back from school; it was a Monday and the start of Nana's 3rd week at Mayu's school. Even though they had very little time with Michiko, they had managed to teach her a few things before going off earlier that day. Greeting others was one of her lessons. The three of them gathered in front of Wanta's doghouse, playing with the dog. They were so busy having fun with it that they didn't notice Tai had come and was leaning by the front door, cup of tea in hand.

"Ah! Kuro-sama," Mayu spoke, noticing their guest was nearby, "It's a relief to see that you are well. My name is Mayu."

"My name is Nana," Nana introduced herself, "We were worried about you Shinobu-san."

"Erm… Kuro? Shinobu?" Tai inquired.

"Well, we didn't know your name and decided to give you one," Mayu explained, "Since you were wearing black, I felt that Kurogane was an appropriate name, Kuro-san."

"And since black is often associated with ninjas," Nana continued, "I felt that a name similar to shinobi would be perfect. Hence, I decided to call you Shinobu."

"Then we put the two names together and formed a full name," Mayu said, smiling sheepishly.

"Shinobu Kurogane!" Nana concluded, raising one hand as if about to answer a question in class and grinning, "Of course, it was only then that Michiko decided to tell us you already had a name."

"Ah I see," Tai spoke, before sipping his tea; an attempt to suppress his urge to laugh, "Well, Nana, Mayu, nice to meet you. And please… use my real name…"

* * *

Kakuzawa stared at the monitors playing looped recordings of #8's containment level during the security breach. One of them was causing him great discomfort; the confrontation between #8 and #6. He was certain the silpelit would have been dead after sustaining that much damage, diclonius are just as fragile as normal humans, but later footage from outside the facility clearly showed that she was still alive. He needed to know exactly what was going on and for that, he needed her to be brought back for testing. It was just a matter of time now; he had already sent several groups of men out to recover her as well as #8. They were ordered to capture him alive if possible and to dispose of him by any means necessary if it weren't, but the girl... it was essential she be brought back unharmed.

* * *

#8 opened his eye. It was night again, but the vessel wasn't rocking as if in water, it was still. He guessed that he must have been brought ashore by a current, having been drifting for 3 days. He closed his eye again, focusing and then he felt it. She wasn't close, but he could sense her, meaning that he would be able to find her soon enough.

"Lucy…" he whispered, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**End of Chapter - Ende Des Kapitels**


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